Chris Burkard makes his living by seizing and capturing moments. He plucks bits of time from his life and shares them with others. He has the right combination of work ethic, attitude, and eye for aesthetics to seize opportunities and to capture images that inspire. We are proud to have the opportunity to work with Chris and hope you all enjoy his images as much as we do.

Not too long ago we released a video of Chris, and a few friends, in Iceland. He and a few headed there in search of surf and what they came back with was nothing short of amazing. We pulled together a few GIF’s from the video. Enjoy!

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http://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2014/02/01/captured/feed/0The Sherpa 100: Thoughts From An Engineerhttp://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2014/01/19/the-sherpa-100-thoughts-from-an-engineer/
http://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2014/01/19/the-sherpa-100-thoughts-from-an-engineer/#commentsSun, 19 Jan 2014 13:26:05 +0000http://www.goalzero.com/blog2/?p=6133We recently added the Sherpa 100 to our line of products and are very proud of this new Power Pack. A few days ago we took the time to sit down with Walker Ford, the Project Leader for the Sherpa 100, and ask him a few questions.

What was your involvement with the Sherpa 100?I was the project manager and lead electronics engineer and oversaw the development from prototype through to production. My technical specialty is electronics and firmware. We also have a fantastic team comprising industrial, mechanical, and electronics engineers. The project involved many trips over to Asia. It was a bit faster to develop than the Sherpa 50, because the concept was already developed. But we wanted to make it significantly more powerful. It was a major challenge to get it to power over 100 watts, because of the small space, but we figured it out, and can sustain 120W.

I also get to occasionally input on design details, which is pretty lucky for a hardware guy. The output ports that are colored, unique shapes and light up when on. You’ll notice on the Sherpa 100 that the light rings are even a bit improved over the Sherpa 50. So it is pretty fun to be that closely involved too.

What is the Sherpa 100 and who was it designed for?The Sherpa 100 is the best lithium ion pack that we make. We had the passionate photographer/ Video producer in mind while designing it: people that need power in a small light package, wherever they happen to be. The Sherpa 100 is a better value than the Sherpa 50. It doesn’t take up that much more space and you get a lot more power. It’s really a fantastic product.

What do you think makes the Sherpa 100 unique to the market and to Goal Zero?This pack can do 120 watts on its output, which is more than any other comparable pack. This high power capability is significant. It’s also the look, and it’s the fact that you get 12V, laptop power, two USB’s, and you’ve got the option for the inverter. I’m not aware of another pack in this size that has an inverter. You are buying a quality product. It was designed using quality components. The cells are brand name, LG Chem cells. They’re not just going to die after a year. This same brand is used in some of electric cars. I’m really proud of that. I have a lot of confidence in the product.

What were some of the challenges and what were the most fun parts of the project for the team?The most fun part was making the user interface system as simple as possible. We had a lot of that fun with the Sherpa 50 when we came up with the shapes, colors and layout of the ports. You take one of our cables and you know where it should go, even if your eyes were closed.

I mentioned some challenges above. Another challenge was structural. We wanted it as small possible, so we had to do a super thin case. There were a few revisions to strengthen the plastic in certain areas to make sure it would be durable if dropped.

It’s fun to have a product line or an idea that can expand or scale. We went from the 50 to a 100, and we would honestly like to do a 200 but the big reason we haven’t done that yet is because of airline regulations. They will stop you if you have a pack over 100 watt hours. We could have made this thing bigger if not for that rule. We wanted the experience for our customers to be easy, we don’t want them to worry about taking it on the plane so we already thought of that for them.

Why buy the 100? What are it’s selling points?It’s the best value in a lithium-ion pack. If you’re going to go Sherpa because its output and weight are what you’re looking for, go with the Sherpa 100. It’s more powerful and not much bigger.

How will you use it in your life?It’s great for even just charging your cell phone. I don’t have an outlet near my bed stand so I use it to charge my phone every day. I charge (The Sherpa) up on the weekends so I don’t have to worry about leaving my phone on the floor charging every night.

I also always carry it with me on the plane. You never know if your plane will have power. You might as well be completely backed up.

What do you like most about being a GZ engineer?I like that we’re trying to create products that we’d actually use. These are relevant products. Also we’re technology agnostic. We are simply looking for the best technology that will give the best value for our customers and ourselves as customers. We get to research and stay on top of the latest technologies.

We’re also fortunate to have a broad product offering – meaning we have everything from small battery to large home power systems. And we’ve got customers in every walk of life. It really makes for a great variety in projects.

We also live in this great age where computers and connectivity are all around us, even in the smallest devices. Parts are getting cheaper, more powerful, and less energy consuming. We can brainstorm and literally implement almost anything we think of. This means we’ve got a long list of awesome ideas that we will make as soon as we have the time to do them. Really there’s no boundaries to what we do — that’s fun!

What else do you want to tell people about the Sherpa?I don’t know if they’ve landed in the user guide yet, but there are a couple easter eggs in the Sherpa 50 and 100. For those who are bothered by the colored lights at night, you can actually disable them through a series of button presses. Press the power button three times, then hold it down on the fourth time until the lights go off.

Another one is called “auto-on” mode, which can be useful in certain cases where you’ve set this outside to power something and it’s connected to solar. Let’s say it goes empty during the night, in the morning the solar will start to charge it, and then the Sherpa will turn back on. Hold down the power button for about seven seconds to enable/disable this mode. The LCD will indicate with a symbol that it is enabled.

It’s just a good all around pack. Most of the relevant information is printed on its bottom side. You can also get to the user guide from the QR code printed there too.

Maybe the best thing about the Sherpa 100 is that it comes with the Goal Zero team behind it. If you’ve got questions, technical questions, user questions, suggestions we are actually available and we welcome responses from our customers and we respond back where we can. We appreciate feedback about it.

Gizmos are vital. In the outdoors, personal locator beacons provide a crutch in case of emergencies, iPhones allow us to call in late for work when the powder is just that good, digital cameras help us show our moms what the summit really looks like, and GoPros serve as proof that the cliff really was a 50-footer.

Gizmos also allow me to make a living. I absolutely require them in order to share my mountain pursuits with the hope of inspiring other people to challenge themselves.

The modern, successful, professional athlete is a media maven, maintaining a following of fans who base their attraction and loyalty off social media engagement. For the first time in history, celebrities, strangers and politicians aren’t unreachable. Anyone can contact them through the modern lines, at any time, from anywhere. Gizmos facilitate this.

But the line between professional athlete and recreationalist isn’t drawn with a USB cord. Everyone uses gizmos, and my cell phone isn’t any more important than yours. To that end, maintaining the limited battery life that these essentials offer is the only thing separating us from the dreaded Unfollow.

In June, my team spent three weeks climbing and skiing 20,320-foot Denali, the tallest mountain in North America. iPhones, GoPros, satellite phones, DSLRs, Androids, laptops, point-and-shoots, speakers, iPods…gizmos. Lots and lots of gizmos. On Denali, climbing expeditions have to be entirely self-supported. There are no buildings, bathrooms, or water, let alone electricity. Goal Zero kept our team powered through snowstorms, wind, and endless clouds.

Given our 14-member team, this kit offered only minimal weight punishment, while literally allowing us to share our trip with the world upon our return. Without it, there would literally not be any media coming from the top of the continent.

Our daily charging session would usually include a few linked Nomads charging iPhones, a Sherpa 50 and Nomad 13 charging a laptop, and solar panels spread out around camp, attached to various tents and sitting on snow piles, dialing in every piece of electronic equipment for our team (and, often, neighboring teams).

Not only did this setup allow us to keep everything barely alive, it allowed us to keep our gizmos fully charged. My iPhone never fell below 50% (on airplane mode), because even after 17-hour summit pushes, I would plug it in immediately upon my return to camp. In all honesty, I worried less about battery power while living on a glacier at 14,200 feet than I do while biking around Salt Lake City doing errands all day.

Gizmos aren’t a nuisance, they’re now a necessity–and not just to drop some hashtags from the summit. Every expedition on Denali had electronics that they needed to keep charged for one reason or another. Goal Zero was the only way to do it.

You have probably already pulled out the ugly Santa sweaters, ate too many days of your chocolate countdown calendar, and spent more time shopping than you would like to admit. We hope you’re spending at least some of this Holiday Season adventuring somewhere off the grid. To help you all get in the spirit of the holiday and to help equip you with all of your power needs we are celebrating with 12 Days of Power. We’ve had a ton of entries roll in and we’re happy to announce the winners of the first six days. If you aren’t on the list there is still time! Put down that sugar cookie and submit an entry HERE.

Day 1: Switch 8 Recharger

Shannon Casteel

Josh Manson

Jeanette Hammond

Andrew Bates

Brian Stevenson

Lyndie Morris

Curtis Lu

Tom Beantini

Donna Hay

Jeff Dossin

Laura Hamlyn

Dora Schuster

Day 2: Switch 8 Recharger

Linda Heger

Colton Coyle

Angela Burley

Kara Waldeck

Lisa Sebela

Adam Opitz

Annette Hendricks

Ann Sakolsky

Mary Burns

Gerry Evans

Kimberly Johnson

Day 3: Guide 10 Plus Recharger

Mary Welton

Brian Schwartz

Victor Arellano

Ryan Mcbride

Rob Bray

Richard Caviness

Michaela Bubalo

John Cherney

Stephanie Bates

Hank Mondaca

Day 4: Guide 10 Plus Recharger

Dante Taylor

Steve Smith

Lori Armendariz

Kevin Krawcsuk

Maureen Buchan

Mark Clark

Steven King

Mark Bluth

Basil Tsefrekas

Day 5: Rock Out 2

Pierre Feisthauer

Douglas Campbell

Nicholas Mann

Taylor Reynolds

Rich Kieper

Thomas Robinson

Khoa Huynh

Scott Kirchmann

Day 6: Rock Out 2

Tony Data

Debra Good

Brenden Petersen

Amy Bower

Tom Alt

Patricia Price

Nell Herrington

To claim your prize email us at Social@goalzero.com

]]>http://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2013/12/10/12-days-of-power-giveaway/feed/13The Evolution of The Hunterhttp://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2013/09/13/the-evolution-of-the-hunter/
http://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2013/09/13/the-evolution-of-the-hunter/#commentsFri, 13 Sep 2013 12:00:32 +0000http://www.goalzero.com/blog2/?p=6008 As the air turns colder and the leaves begin to change, across the country hunters are making their final preparations. They spend the entire year gearing up for the hunting season, constantly reading and researching new gear that could lead to success in the field.

One thing this new gear has in common – great advances in technology.

Back in the days of Fred Bear and Roy Case, your gear cache may have consisted of your handmade bow, a quiver full of precisely handmade arrows, a canteen, and enough food to get you through the day.

Today, hunters everywhere are using technology to pinpoint hunting locations, photo document, and capture their adventure on video. While advances in technology make this all possible, they still run into one common problem; how to keep all of this equipment powered on extended hunts?

I can remember years of filming archery videos in the Rocky Mountains where I was forced to carry 10 or more batteries for a 5 day hunt. And that didn’t include batteries for all my smaller devices. I knew there had to be a better way to bring power with me then a brick of camera batteries and a bag full of AA/AAs.

I was introduced to Goal Zero’s portable solar-powered gear 4 years ago in their early stages. I had used other portable solar panels in the field and hadn’t had a good experience. But at this point in my hunt, I was willing to try just about anything to get away from packing a crazy amount of batteries.

I received the gear on a Wednesday and was leaving Thursday morning for the opener of Utah’s archery season. So without testing I decided to take a chance and leave half of my camera batteries in the truck (worst case I would have to hike 3 hours back and get them) and take 4 batteries and my new portable power kit. We hunted and filmed hard for 6 days and I ended up using and recharging 2 of 4 batteries. Needless to say I was an immediate believer in Goal Zero’s portable power kit. Not to mention it weighed significantly less than all the batteries I was used to lugging around.

Since my first experience, Goal Zero’s product has come a long way. I’ve shed about 6 pounds from my pack by incorporating a variety of Goal Zero power packs and solar panels, as well as tailoring my devices around USB charging. I use GoPros for filming, USB rechargeable headlamps, and my cell phone with an adapter to take photos and videos through my spotting scope. All of which I can now power from the sun. Below is a list of the Goal Zero products I use on the hunt and what I use them for.

Sherpa 50 Solar Recharging Kit

I take two Sherpa 50s into the field with me. One to charge camera batteries and the other to run a single Light-A-Life lantern that provides all the light I need at camp to cook, read, and get my gear prepped. I leave the Nomad 13 solar panel at camp to charge my Sherpa 50s.

Guide 10 Plus Solar Recharging Kit

This is the kit the goes out on the mountain with me to keep my phone charged throughout the day. I can use the Guide 10 to charge my headlamp, GoPro, and phone while sitting in camp at night.

Light-A-Life Lantern (LAL)

I always take a single LAL with me into the field. Weighing in at 10oz and only pulling 3 watts, the LAL runs for close to 17 hours straight on a single charge of my Sherpa 50.

Goal Zero allows anyone to take power anywhere in the world, including the desolate backcountry. With lightweight portable power sources you can take luxuries along for the adventure that were once impossible.

]]>http://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2013/09/13/the-evolution-of-the-hunter/feed/0SUN SAFETYhttp://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2013/07/17/sun-safety/
http://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2013/07/17/sun-safety/#commentsWed, 17 Jul 2013 23:06:28 +0000http://www.goalzero.com/blog2/?p=5951As the heat of the summer brings it’s abundance of sun to our lives, we thought we’d give you a friendly reminder. Believe it or not, your solar panel is stronger than your skin when it comes to the suns powerful rays.

‘Tis the season of yard work, BBQ’s, and beach days. This also means prolonged exposure to the sun’s rays. Although the sun provides a valuable source of vitamin D, it also has a few negative impacts for you and me. If we implement certain practices while in the sun, it can prolong youthful health and appearances for years to come.
-wear clothes, hats, and sunglasses to cover exposed skin
-use at least SPF 15 before and during outdoor activies
-limit your time in peak sun hours (10-2)
-healthy diet fuels your skin for proper defense

Please take the time to review the basics of staying safe in the sun for you and your family. The following link tells you what you need to know in a short 2 minute video about sun safety. As we harness the power of the sun, let’s be responsible in how we allow it to affect our bodies.

]]>http://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2013/07/17/sun-safety/feed/0SHARE THE SUN WITH GOAL ZEROhttp://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2013/07/16/share-the-sun-with-goal-zero/
http://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2013/07/16/share-the-sun-with-goal-zero/#commentsTue, 16 Jul 2013 17:55:59 +0000http://www.goalzero.com/blog2/?p=5949Goal Zero is excited to announce the launch of Share the Sun- a new kind of global humanitarian effort where you are able to follow your donation every step of the way. Sharing the sun with Goal Zero allows you to change the lives of people everywhere by giving solar power.

For every Goal Zero purchase you make, you’ll receive a sun share; a little piece of the sun that you can donate to a project of your choice. You can also donate cash amounts to any project. Once that project has reached its goal, a team will execute the project sending live updates, photos, videos, and stories to every person who joined the project or donated their piece of the sun.

As Hurricane Sandy pummeled the East Coast, we quickly packed up diesel trailers with portable power and sent nine employees to some of the worst hit areas in New York and New Jersey. In order to maximize our efforts, we challenged our friends and family to a “You Buy One, We Give One” campaign, which resulted in a sizeable donation of over $500,000 in less than 15 days. We saw the passion in the hearts of GZ Nation–your incredible desire to give power to those who were powerless was inspirational.

After Hurricane Sandy, a wildfire spread throughout the halls of Goal Zero and soon, Share the Sun was born. We couldn’t be more excited to watch GZnation pull together to make a difference all over the planet.

Power is a basic need that fosters health, productivity, safety, education, and freedom and close to 70% of the world has little or no access to it. On average, 44 quadrillion watts of power from the Sun hit the Earth each year. That’s enough to power all of New York for over 700 years. Everyone has access to the Sun and the power it provides; the problem is how to utilize it, and therein lies an incredible opportunity.

Donate now & Share the Sun!

]]>http://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2013/07/16/share-the-sun-with-goal-zero/feed/0SOLAR POWER ON WHEELShttp://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2013/07/10/solar-power-on-wheels/
http://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2013/07/10/solar-power-on-wheels/#commentsWed, 10 Jul 2013 19:36:04 +0000http://www.goalzero.com/blog2/?p=5942‘Coffee to go’ has a whole new meaning for JR Harrell and Natalie Taylor, founders of Camptime Coffee Company. You may see these guys rollin’ around Denver and the surrounding areas in their little coffee cart- completely powered by the sun.

Camptime Coffee Company is a small batch coffee roaster based in Denver. Each small coffee batch is hand roasted, hand bagged, hand stamped and hand signed one at a time. The brand blends together the world of outdoor adventure activity and a passion for outstanding coffee.

Their goal is to teach people to just slow down and smell the coffee. They believe that the things they make should have a meaningful space, purpose, and home in the lives of other people. They even teach people how to brew delicious coffee the way that folks did one hundred years ago.
Their coffee cart is 100% powered by Goal Zero. Their gear consists of 4 solar panels, the Escape 150, and 4 Guide 10 Plus battery packs which they use to light their cart, power their iPhones, iPads, and speakers. Behind the scenes founder JR is equipped with a Yeti 1250 Solar Generator in case of an emergency. He runs a design company as well (drawnn.com) that will now, just like the Camptime Coffee, never be powerless.

The Sherpa 50 Solar recharger allows you to go anywhere and never miss the shot. ViewBug.com is hosting a contest for the best morning sun photo. You have all summer to capture the perfect morning shot- contest ends September 3rd. Check out some of the entries and stay solar powered up so you can enter too!

Adventure lifestyle photographer and winner of the 2010 Red Bull Illume Image Quest, Chris Burkard says, “My Sherpa 50 Solar Recharging Kit is an epic piece of equipment that has really been a lifesaver. I’m able to back up memory cards to my hard drive and edit photos no matter where I’m at, including the remote wilderness of Kamchatka, Russia.”

]]>http://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2013/06/27/win-solar/feed/2Solar Power Every Hour Winnershttp://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2013/06/22/solar-power-every-hour-winners/
http://www.goalzero.com/solarlife/2013/06/22/solar-power-every-hour-winners/#commentsSat, 22 Jun 2013 18:40:56 +0000http://www.goalzero.com/blog2/?p=5926Thank you GZnation for entering the Solar Power Every Hour giveaway in celebration of National Solar Day!

Although June 21st is also National Skateboarding Day, National Flip Flop Day, the Summer Solstice and a lot of birthdays, we like to celebrate the sun and the glorious renewable power it provides us.

Here’s a quick fact you may not know, the earth is hit with 44 quadrillion watts of power a year! As a comparison, a large electric power plant produces about 1 billion (1 x 109) watts of power. It would take 44 million such power plants to equal the energy coming from the sun!

So in celebration of the amazing power of the sun, we are giving away 24 Nomad 7 Solar Panels for every hour yesterday (June 21st).

The winners are

12AM: Jennifer Happel Karvetski

1AM: Rich Kolb

2AM: Darci Heser Brown

3AM: Tina McElhattan

4AM: Richard Carter

5AM: Sandra Davis Skaggs

6AM: Nathan Kern

7AM: Christopher Tait

8AM: Jimmy Bostic

9AM: Gary Hatch

10AM: Valarie Carrick

11AM: Vicki Bell

12PM: Felina Jo Maris

1PM: Wes Heverley

2PM: Keith Payne

3PM: Jonathan Brandau

4PM: Victoria Kaula’aihawane Atwood

5PM: Kevin Arnesen

6PM: Darrin Burnham

7PM: Jordan Parker

8PM: Brian Aiken

9PM: Lance Andersen

10PM: Jerry Paquet

11PM: Lex Watterson

Winners will be receiving an email in the next 4 days with directions on how to receive your Nomad 7 Solar Panel.

Congratulations to all the Solar an Hour winners and thanks to all those that entered.

Check out how you can attach your Nomad 7 Solar Panel to your backpack so you can capture the sun while living the #SolarLife.